Imagine you’re walking to work. You see a child drowning in a pond. You’re about to jump in and save her when you realize you’re wearing your best suit, and the rescue will end up costing hundreds in dry cleaning bills.
Should you still save the child?
Of course, right?
Should you still save the child?
Of course, right?
But then, what’s the difference between a child in front of you and a child who’s not in front of you, who you could save if you donated the money you spent on AirPods to buying bednets?
Is it moral to spend so much on ourselves when that money could save so many?
Is it moral to spend so much on ourselves when that money could save so many?
That’s the point of Peter Singer’s “The Life You Can Save.” We’re letting a lot of children drown.
What happens if we force ourselves to recognize that fact? What does it demand of us? What if being a decent person is much, much harder than we let ourselves believe?
What happens if we force ourselves to recognize that fact? What does it demand of us? What if being a decent person is much, much harder than we let ourselves believe?
That’s the topic of my podcast with Singer. It's the sort of conversation that's hard to stop thinking about, that makes you look at your life through a different lens. podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/pet…
We also discuss how moral reasoning is a social act, The Good Place, AI risk, open borders, animal liberation, why Singer wouldn’t have become a philosopher if he’d been an effective altruist, and much more.
